Raising Your Strength - Part 2

Forming Territory

From the experience of players first introduced to Go it appears
that the most difficult idea to understand is the general idea of
"territory".

A territory is an area claimed by one player when his stones
surround it so that he can form, with proper play, two eyes and his
opponent cannot. The size of the area, the shape, and
the strength of the outside wall must all be considered in
deciding if it is safe.

As far as shape is concerned, long narrow areas are better than
square ones. A formation surrounding four points in a row is safe no
matter who plays first, whereas one surrounding four points in a square
cannot form two eyes there in any case.

The strength of the outside wall must be weighed in forming
territory. A formation of black stones on the tenth lines, surrounding a
quadrant is said to form a safe territory, for white cannot form two
eyes if Black plays correctly. Try it and see.

Correct Order of Play

There are several widely accepted principles on where and how to
form territory, and the first is:

It is easiest to form territory in the corner, harder along the
sides, and hardest of all in the centre. This can be easily seen from
the minimum number of stones needed to form two eyes; 6 in the corner, 8
along the sides and 10 in the centre.

Thus the basic principle of strategy is to play first in the corners
- either closing a corner with two stones, or attacking an enemy play in
the corner - then to build territory along the sides, and finally
extending into centre.

The methods of forming territory in the corners are mostly joseki
studies, and the beginner should gain some knowledge of these before
anything else. Here we shall consider the methods of forming territory
along the sides.

In extending along the sides form a corner position the questions to
be asked are: (1) How far up form the edge? and (2) How long a jump form
the corner?

Primarily, you should play along the third line to form territory,
but with some stones on the fourth to ensure that you can prevent your
opponent form grabbing all the centre. This is the second basic
principle of forming territory.

Before 1930 classical play emphasised the third line heavily. But in
the 1930's a new opening strategy was proposed (Shin Fuseki). These two
are contrasted in the opening in Dia 1 with Black playing the extreme
form of the new strategy. These fourth line plays are designed for
central influence more than immediate territorial gain.

The White plays are an extreme form of the classical style. Such a
heavy accent on the third or fourth lines alone is rarely seen now, and
the modern style is rather a mixture of the two, taking the best points
of each and forming a "balanced" style.

The search for balance is well illustrate by the example in Dia 2:
Black plays 1, low relative to . If was at A, the best play would be B, balanced with the
low play at A.

In the opening in Dia 1 you may have noticed that Black played one
stone in each area, and on the very points that handicap stones are
placed, but it takes considerable skill to follow this up profitably.

Again referring to Dia 1 and bearing in mind that no one additional
move can secure the handicap corner, good plays are A, closing the
corner; B, taking side territory; and C, aiming in either direction.
This last play is very strong and should be used more often in handicap
games.

In forming territory, the biggest question to answer is, how far to
extend from the corner groups? The widest extension usually used is 6
points, Dia 3 for example. The safe extension from a single stone on the
third line is two points, forming a connection that cannot be broken.

The example in Dia 4 illustrates the use of extensions: Moves 10 and
11 are large extensions, 12 and 14 are safe extensions.

What is the thought behind 10 and 11? The opponent can invade
directly in the gaps left behind. But note that if White plays A, Black
can safely extend to B, leaving White squeezed between two strong black
groups. White has made a similar move with 14, threatening blacks
corner as well. One reason for Black playing 13, and not C, is that he
would not have this optional extension.

The 5 point extension, 10 and 11, can be consolidated with a further
play at D or A, but it is more likely that E, or more commonly, F will
be played. This latter play threatens to form a "box" formation with G
which is very strong and is almost irreducible.

However the beginner is usually more interested in knowing how far
he can safely extend without fear of being disconnected, and in knowing
how he can capture the invading stone if he has to.

In most circumstances one can extend, on the third line, two points
from a single stone, three from two stones, four from a three stone
formation etc. [Examples referenced, but references didn't
work.]

Defending Ones Own

It is all very well to say that a certain extension is normal and
safe - but what to do when your opponent disregards this and plunges in?
A beginner often learns how to make the right move, but not how to
defend it; he becomes discouraged and retreats to timid extensions,
which are even more certain paths to defeat. Naturally, there is no
simple answer to this, but the following may suggest an approach.

Consider this situation; Black makes the extension to 1, whereupon
white invades at 2. What should Black do?

First Black must decide whether to capture the white stone or will
he force White out into the centre, making a strong wall to the right.
In many cases, the latter is more profitable, but if there are white
stones to the right Black must capture as Black cannot expand profitably
to the right. Should then Black attack with A, B or C?

The one play he should not make is 1 in Dia 6. Dia 6 indicates the
kind of complication that White can devise. Instead, Black should play
Dia 7, giving White little choice beyond the sequence shown on the
right. 5 is the key play and once you have learned this type of capture
it seems simplicity itself, but many a beginner plays timidly at 6
instead, and White is out. 9 captures White, with no opportunities for
ko or anything else.

It is good for Black to study such possibilities by himself, so that
he is prepared to defend his territorial claims. But in any case, if he
knows that his extension is right, he should play with a certain
aggressive confidence against any unorthodox white plays.

The same thing applies to larger extensions, the similar sequence
for the next larger extension from the 4 stone wall to , invaded at is shown in Dia 8.
After this last play white can only push in one point to A, and he has
also stranded three stones with no base in a powerful black formation.

This article is from the
British Go Journal
Issue 2
which is one of a series of back issues now available on the web.